IODINE, RADIOACTIVE. Www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/iodine.pdf. How iodine pills protect against radiation. Japanese survivors of the tsunami and earthquake who live near the four stricken nuclear reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant are being told to take potassium iodide or iodine tablets as a precaution against thyroid cancer. It is believed that the radiation leaking from the plants is radioactive iodine, which can cause thyroid cancer.
Potassium iodide (or KI, as it’s known chemically) is a common form of salt and is known to protect the thyroid gland from radiation and cancer caused by radioactive iodine. The chemical works quickly by saturating the thyroid with non-radioactive iodine. That makes it difficult or impossible for radioactive iodine to be absorbed by the thyroid. “The thyroid needs iodine to produce the thyroid hormone,” explained Alvin Powers, an endocrinologist and professor of molecular physiology and biophysics at Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. When taken before exposure, potassium iodide can provide protection for 24 hours. US Scramble for KI a 'waste of time'
Bob Holmes, consultant The possibility of exposure to nuclear radiation can trigger public fear far out of proportion to the actual risk, and the Japanese reactor crisis is no exception. In particular, people living near the Pacific coast of the US and Canada are quickly buying up stocks of potassium iodide, news agencies are reporting. That is almost certainly a complete waste of time and money. For people immediately downwind of a reactor accident, potassium iodide, or KI, can be a lifesaver. Ingesting a daily dose of KI keeps the body from absorbing dangerous doses of radioactive iodine released from the damaged reactor, and its use in nearby residents after the Chernobyl accident could have helped prevent thousands of cases of thyroid cancer in the decades since.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission now recommends that disaster planners consider giving KI to anyone within 16 km of a serious reactor accident. Radiation Emergencies | JAMA Reactor Accidents August 7, 1987, Becker 258 (5): 649. Thyroid - Post Chernobyl issue. Hx and dev of radiation-protective agents. Assessments of the Chernobyl accident. UNSCEAR's assessments of the radiation effects Summary The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor that occurred on 26 April 1986 was the most serious accident ever to occur in the nuclear power industry. The reactor was destroyed in the accident and considerable amounts of radioactive material were released to the environment.
The accident caused the deaths, within a few weeks, of 30 workers and radiation injuries to over a hundred others. In response, the authorities evacuated, in 1986, about 115,000 people from areas surrounding the reactor and subsequently relocated, after 1986, about 220,000 people from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The accident caused serious social and psychological disruption in the lives of those affected and vast economic losses over the entire region. Release of radionuclides The accident at the Chernobyl reactor happened during an experimental test of the electrical control system as the reactor was being shut down for routine maintenance.
CDC - Radiation Measurement. When scientists measure radiation, they use different terms depending on whether they are discussing radiation coming from a radioactive source, the radiation dose absorbed by a person, or the risk that a person will suffer health effects (biological risk) from exposure to radiation. This fact sheet explains some of the terminology used to discuss radiation measurement. Units of Measure Most scientists in the international community measure radiation using the System Internationale (SI), a uniform system of weights and measures that evolved from the metric system.
In the United States, however, the conventional system of measurement is still widely used. Different units of measure are used depending on what aspect of radiation is being measured. For example, the amount of radiation being given off, or emitted, by a radioactive material is measured using the conventional unit curie (Ci), named for the famed scientist Marie Curie, or the SI unit becquerel (Bq). Measuring Emitted Radiation. WHO Iodine_Prophylaxis_guide.pdf. Stable Iodine Prophylaxis.
HPA RPD Series Reports.